This is your weekly update of bills introduced or moving through the legislature. Last week’s blog post listed a variety of bills and their current status. This update will only describe new legislation or updates on significant bills already introduced. If a bill is moving between committees and/or going nowhere we will not necessarily have updated it for you. Again, many of the listed bills are not necessarily going to be enacted, and all are still subject to being rewritten. Here is this week’s update:

New Legislation

HB 200 – introduced 2/27/17, referred to Rules Committee

An Act To Establish A Nonpartisan Redistricting Process

Provides that Legislative Services Office, not members, preparing redistricting plans, sets out information to be gathered and process to be followed; creates a Temporary Redistricting Advisory Council, four members, one each appointed by the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate; sets out standards for creating districts including that districts not be created to favor any political party or incumbent, to dilute voting strength of any language or racial minority group.

An Act Repealing S.L. 2016 99 And S.L. 2016 3; Preempting Regulation Of Access To Bathrooms, Showers, and Changing Facilities; Expanding State Protected Classes As To Employment and Public Accommodations; Allowing Local Nondiscrimination Ordinances and Optional Referenda; And Enhancing Criminal Penalties Related To Offenses In Certain Public Accommodations

If enacted, would broaden the EEPA to become an Equal Employment Practice and Public Accommodations Act, and would broaden the types of discrimination prohibited.

Technical corrections to the APA – An Act To Authorize Agencies To Make Rule Technical Corrections Without Review By the Rules Review Commission And To Authorize The Codifier Of Rules To Make Rule Technical Corrections, To Clarify That a Party May Commence a Contested Case In a Dispute With an Agency Without Petitioning the Agency For Rule Making Or Obtaining a Declaratory Ruling, and to Revise the Process For the Review and Readoption Of Existing Rules, As Recommended By the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee

Eliminate notice requirements for administrative rule-making to re-number, fix typos, change public contact information, correct a citation, or “change a rule in response to a request or an objection by the [Rules Review] Commission, unless the Commission determines that the change is substantial,” and changing the definition of “necessary rule” to “any rule other than an unnecessary rule.”

An Act To Make Technical Corrections and Other Conforming Changes To the Laws Governing the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, the Local Government Employees’ Retirement System, and Other Related Statutes

Clarifies that state employees accrued vacation leave payout can only be used to increase “average final compensation” for retirement purposes only if it’s paid out at the end of the four years of highest compensation paid that employee.

An Act To Create Additional Incentives For Local Governments To Comply With State Laws Related To Immigration, To Prohibit UNC Constituent Institutions From Becoming Sanctuary Universities, and To Direct the Department Of Public Safety To Enter Into a Memorandum Of Agreement With the Department Of Homeland Security

An Act To Modify the Appointment Methods Of Certain Community College Boards Of Trustees

Changes selection of Community College boards so that Governor no longer does any appointments of a portion of Board members; taking those appointments previous designated to Governor and dividing them between Speaker of the House and President Pro Temp of Senate.

An Act To Protect a Person’s Right To Carry a Concealed Handgun Without a Permit, To Purchase a Handgun Without A Pistol Purchase Permit, and To Continue Allowing Persons To Acquire a Concealed Handgun Permit For the Purposes Of Reciprocity Or For Any Other Reason Desired

Eliminate requirement of a permit for carrying a concealed firearm, but preserving right to post notice that firearms are not allowed on premises, prohibition on consuming alcoholic beverages, etc.

Bill to protect law enforcement officers for retaliation for reporting violations of law, fraud, misappropriation of state/local resources, “substantial and specific danger to the public health and safety;” gross mismanagement, waste of monies or abuse of authority; and establishing anti-harassment policy when municipal law enforcement officers report to public bodies re matters of public concern.

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